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ClareR (6081 KP) rated The Lost Ones in Books
Dec 3, 2019
The Lost Ones is a gothic horror set during the First World War. It's 1917and Stella Marcham has already experienced a traumatic war. She has lost her fiancé, and seen more than most women as a nurse on the front line. She is grief stricken and it's highly possible that she has PTSD. Her brother-in-law asks Stella to go and keep her pregnant sister company at his country home, as she is experiencing strange occurrences, and he feels that she needs some support. He doesn't believe Stella's sister when she says that she can hear a child crying: there are no children at Greyswick.
I loved this book! it made me jump, gasp out loud and burst out in nervous laughter. It's worth bearing in mind that I was on a long train journey as I was reading this, so there are probably a number of people between Skegness and Chester who either think I'm a little unhinged, or are dying to know what I was reading (I'm considering wearing some sort of badge on long train journeys, that says 'currently reading (insert book name here)'. I'm sure it'll explain to people my frankly erratic behaviour in cases like this.).
Anyway, this book deserves any hype it gets, and I strongly suggest that if you're a fan of historical fiction with a gothic bent, you go out, buy and read this immediately. And read it in public. I can't always be the one to show herself up like this.
Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for my copy of this book.
I loved this book! it made me jump, gasp out loud and burst out in nervous laughter. It's worth bearing in mind that I was on a long train journey as I was reading this, so there are probably a number of people between Skegness and Chester who either think I'm a little unhinged, or are dying to know what I was reading (I'm considering wearing some sort of badge on long train journeys, that says 'currently reading (insert book name here)'. I'm sure it'll explain to people my frankly erratic behaviour in cases like this.).
Anyway, this book deserves any hype it gets, and I strongly suggest that if you're a fan of historical fiction with a gothic bent, you go out, buy and read this immediately. And read it in public. I can't always be the one to show herself up like this.
Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for my copy of this book.
Cocoa Beach (A Certain Age #2)
8.0
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Burdened by a dark family secret, Virginia Fortescue flees her oppressive home in New York City for...
The Mandibles: A Family, 2029-2047
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'Shriver's intelligence, mordant humour and vicious leaps of imagination all combine to make this a...
ClareR (6081 KP) rated Her Last Holiday in Books
May 16, 2021
I liked this thriller very much, especially the slow build up of tension. It was only the stave a day format of The Pigeonhole that stopped me from turning to the end to find out what was going to happen (gasp! I know, I’m a terrible person!)
Fran, a 50-something single, teacher, is roped into attending a Wellness retreat by her mother - a retreat run by the same man who ran the one in Gozo where Fran’s sister, Jenna, went missing two years previously. The male counsellor, Tom, has just served two years in prison for the deaths of two other people on the retreat, and his wife wants him to get back to work as soon as possible. This may not have been a wise move.
I liked the flashbacks to Jenna’s retreat - there was as much tension in these parts as in her sister Frans present day parts. Neither past events or the present day make it any easier to guess what might have happened to Jenna, but there’s definitely something fishy going on in both timelines.
There were parts where I felt it best to leave my rational thoughts at the door - but hey, this is fiction. If I wanted real life, I’d read a newspaper (ahem. Or something). Many was the time over the 10 day period of reading this, where I was so frustrated at the end of the stave - I just wanted to read on. It’s definitely a book written for a day long binge read!!
Fran, a 50-something single, teacher, is roped into attending a Wellness retreat by her mother - a retreat run by the same man who ran the one in Gozo where Fran’s sister, Jenna, went missing two years previously. The male counsellor, Tom, has just served two years in prison for the deaths of two other people on the retreat, and his wife wants him to get back to work as soon as possible. This may not have been a wise move.
I liked the flashbacks to Jenna’s retreat - there was as much tension in these parts as in her sister Frans present day parts. Neither past events or the present day make it any easier to guess what might have happened to Jenna, but there’s definitely something fishy going on in both timelines.
There were parts where I felt it best to leave my rational thoughts at the door - but hey, this is fiction. If I wanted real life, I’d read a newspaper (ahem. Or something). Many was the time over the 10 day period of reading this, where I was so frustrated at the end of the stave - I just wanted to read on. It’s definitely a book written for a day long binge read!!
Christine A. (965 KP) rated The Good Sister in Books
May 8, 2021
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.
The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth is the first book I read of hers, but it will not be the last.
It appeared Fern and Rose are as close as twin sisters can be. In reality, their relationship is much different. Rose is the responsible, pragmatic sister who always looks out for Fern. Fern is the quirky one who always sees the good in everyone. People do not realize Rose looks out for Fern because of her publicly perfect mother, who in secret is a sociopath, and because of what Fern did when she was younger.
The book is much more than I thought it would be. It is a psychological thriller that explores how people with high-functioning autism are treated and how they view everyday occurrences. It is also a family drama, a dysfunctional family, but a family nonetheless.
Hepworth builds the main characters and the people surrounding them well. She describes their world well enough to be in their world but without too much detail slowing down the story. Her storytelling and the story made Sally Hepworth an author. I want to read more of her work.
On Goodreads, Hepworth is the #1 most followed author in Australia.
This 200-word review will be published on Philomathinphila.com.
The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth is the first book I read of hers, but it will not be the last.
It appeared Fern and Rose are as close as twin sisters can be. In reality, their relationship is much different. Rose is the responsible, pragmatic sister who always looks out for Fern. Fern is the quirky one who always sees the good in everyone. People do not realize Rose looks out for Fern because of her publicly perfect mother, who in secret is a sociopath, and because of what Fern did when she was younger.
The book is much more than I thought it would be. It is a psychological thriller that explores how people with high-functioning autism are treated and how they view everyday occurrences. It is also a family drama, a dysfunctional family, but a family nonetheless.
Hepworth builds the main characters and the people surrounding them well. She describes their world well enough to be in their world but without too much detail slowing down the story. Her storytelling and the story made Sally Hepworth an author. I want to read more of her work.
On Goodreads, Hepworth is the #1 most followed author in Australia.
This 200-word review will be published on Philomathinphila.com.
Christine A. (965 KP) rated Broken in Books
Sep 16, 2020
I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.
Magnolia (Maggie) is not surprised when her estranged twin sister is murdered by her abusive husband. She travels to Beaumont Cove, the town where her sister and Mike lived. Mike protests his innocence, and, at first, she does not believe him. Wandering around town and looking into her sister's time there, she begins to have doubts. Hiring a local PI, Maggie looks into her sister's murder and wonders if Mike is telling the truth.
Broken by John Rector is a short, quick read. It is 284 pages. The story flows well, but I did not connect with the characters. The town is supposed to feel creepy, but it came across as similar to a New Jersey tourist town during the off-season, devoid of tourists. The "big reveal" from one of the characters' past was not surprising, although it did explain his actions.
The cover and description of the book made it seem as if the story was going to be scary or suspenseful. It was neither. While it was worth reading, the book felt too short and not fully fleshed out.
According to Goodreads, Rector's short fiction won several awards, including the International Thriller Award for his novella, Lost Things.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 9/15/20.
Magnolia (Maggie) is not surprised when her estranged twin sister is murdered by her abusive husband. She travels to Beaumont Cove, the town where her sister and Mike lived. Mike protests his innocence, and, at first, she does not believe him. Wandering around town and looking into her sister's time there, she begins to have doubts. Hiring a local PI, Maggie looks into her sister's murder and wonders if Mike is telling the truth.
Broken by John Rector is a short, quick read. It is 284 pages. The story flows well, but I did not connect with the characters. The town is supposed to feel creepy, but it came across as similar to a New Jersey tourist town during the off-season, devoid of tourists. The "big reveal" from one of the characters' past was not surprising, although it did explain his actions.
The cover and description of the book made it seem as if the story was going to be scary or suspenseful. It was neither. While it was worth reading, the book felt too short and not fully fleshed out.
According to Goodreads, Rector's short fiction won several awards, including the International Thriller Award for his novella, Lost Things.
This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 9/15/20.
Eleanor Luhar (47 KP) rated Finding Grace in Books
Jun 24, 2019
Yesterday I finished Finding Grace, a short historical fiction book I was given the chance to read thanks to NetGalley. It follows Grace, a thirteen-year-old girl living in a Belgian convent in 1975. She was left on the steps as a baby, along with her disabled sister, Dotty. But Dotty recently died, and everything is changing.
Grace is moved to the girls' boarding school dorm. She soon becomes close with Fran, but also has a few run-ins with the stuck up Deirdra. While helping Fran with a history project Grace discovers an old journal kept by one of the nuns at the convent during the war. It tells her horrific story of abandonment, rape and loss.
All the while, the girls are trying to find out more about Grace's past, and avoid the wrath of the horrible Sister Francis. Eventually Grace does get some anwswers, but they were certainly not the ones she was looking for.
I'm not usually very interested in historical fiction but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Even though it was short, the characters were well developed and the plot was exciting and intriguing. I felt immersed in the setting, and felt empathetic for Grace. I actually felt quite invested in her and her search for knowledge.
There were a few typos and such, but as this is only a review copy I can't be sure whether the final publication will include them. It was a quick, interesting read, a good introduction to historical fiction. 4 stars!
Grace is moved to the girls' boarding school dorm. She soon becomes close with Fran, but also has a few run-ins with the stuck up Deirdra. While helping Fran with a history project Grace discovers an old journal kept by one of the nuns at the convent during the war. It tells her horrific story of abandonment, rape and loss.
All the while, the girls are trying to find out more about Grace's past, and avoid the wrath of the horrible Sister Francis. Eventually Grace does get some anwswers, but they were certainly not the ones she was looking for.
I'm not usually very interested in historical fiction but I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Even though it was short, the characters were well developed and the plot was exciting and intriguing. I felt immersed in the setting, and felt empathetic for Grace. I actually felt quite invested in her and her search for knowledge.
There were a few typos and such, but as this is only a review copy I can't be sure whether the final publication will include them. It was a quick, interesting read, a good introduction to historical fiction. 4 stars!
Merissa (13786 KP) rated Primal Instinct (Prowlers #1) in Books
Sep 17, 2019
Primal Instinct is the first book in the Prowlers series, and we dive straight in with Kenzie. She is being blackmailed to do all sorts of nefarious acts, just to keep her sister alive. She isn't proud of what she's done or doing, but will do whatever it takes to keep her sister alive. Jaxx is a born shifter, complete with self-filling glyph that shows just how much humanity he has left. Here's a hint - it isn't much. The only thing that will save him from going rogue is to find his fated mate.
This story is full of twists and turns, with bad guys who are evil and yet you have sympathy toward them. Then there are good guys who do bad things, plus bad guys who appear all bad (I'm reserving judgment on them though!). With dodgy companies, weres going missing, blackmailing brothers, a new player for Kenzie when she isn't sure if she is friend or foe, there is an awful lot going on in here. It all works though.
It is a fast-paced story, and if you're anything like me, you will find it hard to put down. With no editing or grammatical errors that I noticed, I thoroughly enjoyed this first foray in the Prowlers world. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This story is full of twists and turns, with bad guys who are evil and yet you have sympathy toward them. Then there are good guys who do bad things, plus bad guys who appear all bad (I'm reserving judgment on them though!). With dodgy companies, weres going missing, blackmailing brothers, a new player for Kenzie when she isn't sure if she is friend or foe, there is an awful lot going on in here. It all works though.
It is a fast-paced story, and if you're anything like me, you will find it hard to put down. With no editing or grammatical errors that I noticed, I thoroughly enjoyed this first foray in the Prowlers world. Absolutely recommended by me.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Dustwalker
10.0
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7.5
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